5 Ways Big Data Is Impacting Employee Benefits Packages

Big
data has transformed how businesses in various industries process and analyze
information in ways that were impossible before. The technology can crunch
numbers and detect trends much faster than humans could without help.

Benefits
technology packages that help employees choose the plans and options they want
are becoming more popular. Some can make suggestions based on information in a
worker’s profile or other details in a system. Big data often enables that
process by working in the background to make the content most relevant to an
individual user.

Also, big data can streamline many of the benefits-related tasks HR professionals undertake. Statistics indicate that they waste 14 hours per week due to the lack of automation. Big data could tell the HR department what stage most employees are at regarding applying for benefits. Then, if necessary, they could send automatic reminders that urge people to finish the process.

2. Helping Employers Track How or if Benefits Programs Pay Off

Big
data is also crucial for allowing companies to assess the worthiness of certain
benefits they give employees. For example, if a person signs up for a gym
membership that a workplace offers or a program that allows them to get healthy
meals at work, companies could see if that individual shows signs of better
well-being.

Many businesses already do this, but workers have differing opinions about the approach. Some find it invasive when employers ask for statistics like an enrolled person’s body mass index (BMI). Others don’t mind, typically because they get incentives like cash bonuses for making health gains.

3. Giving More Insights Into Workers’ Compensation Claims

The specifics surrounding workers’ compensation vary depending on a person’s location. For example, in Pennsylvania, a person is considered totally disabled or partially disabled. If a doctor’s examination reveals they are at least 35% disabled, that constitutes total disability and results in lifetime benefits. A big data platform could help companies monitor the severity of disablement after a person files a claim.

Big data can lower medical costs associated with workers’ compensation, too. That’s significant, since statistics show those expenses account for 60% of the overall claims costs. Thanks to big data, insurance companies and the professionals that deal with workers’ compensation paperwork can drill down to see which treatments or doctors provide the best outcomes for people injured due to their jobs.

4. Informing HR Representatives of Which Benefits Employees Like or Want Most

Many HR representatives do not have a clear understanding of how employees in an organization utilize their benefits. Then, it becomes difficult for those companies to offer the most attractive perks for their workers. A big data platform can reveal what percentage of workers choose certain benefits while ignoring others.

It
could also calculate how often employees request benefits the business does not
offer yet. In that case, big data facilitates decision-making related to
whether it’s time to revamp a program and what the effects of doing that might
be.

5. Guiding the Ways Employees Utilize Their Benefits Packages

Big
data is also useful for assisting employees in using their benefits as
effectively as possible. Walmart is rolling out a Featured Providers aspect of
its health insurance program. It recommends which doctors workers should see
and is part of a personalized health care initiative offered by the retailer.

Walmart
is reportedly working with a company that uses big data to quantify the
performance
of health care providers. It believes this system will cut down on unnecessary
health costs while giving employees useful information to steer their choices.

Without
this application of big data for employee benefits, workers may choose
physicians randomly. They may not know ahead of time whether a particular
provider is within their insurance network.

Outside
of health care specifically, big data could enable systems to provide
personalized content that helps workers learn about benefits that may have been
previously unfamiliar to them. Such self-directed content keeps employees up to
date and may mean they get questions answered without needing to engage with HR
professionals directly.

A Win-Win Situation for Employee Benefits

This list highlights why big data is such a big deal for workers and companies alike. When used well, it saves money, reduces confusion and assists businesses in offering perks workers want.

About the Author

Caleb Danziger writes about big data, AI, cloud computing and the IoT. Read more from Caleb on The Byte Beat, his tech blog.

Comments

Big data is becoming increasingly more common across all types of businesses, so it should come as no surprise that it has an impact on employee benefits as well. This is especially true on the HR side of things, as discussed here. Ultimately, I agree that big data will help employees better manage the perks that they applied for.

Resource Links:

Industry Perspectives

In this special guest feature, Sean McDermott, CEO and founder of Windward Consulting Group and RedMonocle, offers what enterprises need to know about the five levels of AIOps maturity. When maneuvering through each level, keep the long-term AIOps strategy and goals at the center to achieve the true potential of AIOps.

Latest Video

White Papers

This whitepaper by HGS Digital on Customer Data Platform Vendor Evaluation provides a detailed look at the 10 broad areas and what questions organizations should ask vendors while evaluating the CDP vendors.